Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

"The Sword of Omniscience is hunting her down..."

Joan of Arc turned her gaze to the wolf child beside her. She didn't know why this wolf-like child had attracted the attention of the Knight King.

But the child just shivered, like a frozen wild animal.

"To be precise, it wasn't the Knight King who wanted her dead, but it was close... In short, the situation couldn't be worse."

"Uncle Lorraine, have you really betrayed your country?"

"Not yet, but if I'm discovered, then it will be."

"why?"

“I have never done anything harmful to the country, but the country is far more complicated than you think, and there are many people who are forced into this situation.”

"What will happen if she gets caught?"

"The entire Obsidian Knights will be implicated; in fact, the Obsidian Knights are already mired in trouble."

"The teacher..."

“As expected, you’re most concerned about your teacher.” Lorraine said seriously, “Your teacher is a big shot in the Obsidian Knights. He’s the kind of person who can hold up the sky when it falls.”

"You've been with her for too long, and you've become tainted by her scent. So leave now while you still can. If you continue to stay with her, you probably won't be able to escape even if you want to."

Joan of Arc had always felt a faint, unseen aura of darkness emanating from her. At first, she thought it was just her imagination, but now that she was aware of it, she realized that the aura of darkness within her had become even deeper.

But Joan of Arc realized that not only she, but probably all the nuns and others in the church had been tainted by her dark aura; what they initially mistook for a foul odor was actually something ominous.

"If I return to the Obsidian Knights with these traces..."

“It will indeed be a bit troublesome, but for your safety, it’s necessary. Let’s go,” Lorraine said seriously.

Joan of Arc retorted, "Uncle Lorraine, how can I believe you haven't betrayed the country?"

Lorraine held a blue cube in her hand: "Just a short while ago, I was communicating with your teacher, and he's on his way here now."

When the teacher learned of this and that he was a collaborator with Lorraine, Joan of Arc was relieved.

"Alright, let's go, or it'll be too late." Lorraine turned around.

“I think I can help,” Joan of Arc said.

Lorraine immediately refused: "No, haven't you realized how serious this is? This isn't child's play, how can you get involved..."

“If she’s willing to help us, things might have a glimmer of hope,” the person with the red and blue eyes stepped forward and said calmly.

"What do you mean? Are you planning to put her in danger too?" Lorraine's face showed a rare expression of anger.

“You should know very well that you, and everyone you know who can get things done, are on the list of the All-Knowing Sword. Your every move is under his watchful eye. He will discover you as soon as you show up. If you are to do the work, you will not have a single chance of survival.”

"As for me, it's not the right time for me to appear now; it's too early."

Brand looked at Joan of Arc: "But she's different. She's never been on the list of the Omniscient Sword. In the eyes of the Omniscient Sword, she's just an ordinary person. The Omniscient Sword won't target her. With this innocence, she's actually the one among us with the best chance of escaping."

“But my knightly honor forbids a child from doing such a thing,” Lorraine said coldly. “She’s already tainted by the aura; how could she possibly escape the eyes of the All-Knowing Sword?”

"I have a plan, otherwise what would I be doing here?"

Brand held a coin wrapped with red thread in front of Jeanne: "Take this with you. This thing can conceal your aura. The red thread represents how well you conceal yourself. The better the red thread binds the coin, the better you conceal yourself. If the red thread completely falls off, it means you have been completely exposed."

Lorraine frowned as she watched Brand hand the coin to Joan of Arc. The moment Joan took the coin, she suddenly felt a sensation similar to diving underwater. It was a feeling of destiny, as if something had obscured her connection with the outside world.

Brand handed another coin to the wolf child: "Take this."

“You wanted to involve her from the very beginning, that’s why you came here,” Lorraine said coldly.

“I’m helping you come up with the plan with the highest success rate,” Brand replied.

The two locked eyes, a tension palpable between them. Finally, it seemed Lorraine relented, "Can your thing really evade the detection of the Omniscient Sword?"

"Even if an omniscient god were to investigate personally, one could evade it, but only once."

"With that thing you have?"

“Our Red God and your Omniscient God are equal gods.”

"Though it is blasphemous, I now hope that what you are saying is true."

"What should we do next?" Joan of Arc asked.

"Run! Find a way to get out of Esgard. If you can get out of Esgard, your chances of survival will be much higher."

"It's easier said than done. That's the Omniscient Sword. If she runs out directly, even if she's a hundred miles away, the Omniscient Sword can catch up with her immediately."

"So she needs our cover. We draw the attention of the All-Knowing Sword and create an opening for her to escape."

“Us?” Lorraine chuckled. “You mean we should attract the attention of the All-Knowing Sword? Do you have an army in your pocket? Or are you going to call over the Sword of Conquest and the Sword of Goddess from next door to help you?”

"This is the only way now: try to challenge that supreme Knight King. On the bright side, if you succeed, you will become the new Knight King."

Brand patted Lorraine on the shoulder, and Lorraine gave him an expression that looked worse than crying.

*

Esgard, in an old hotel in the city center.

Joan of Arc is checking in at the front desk.

This was the temporary resting place that Lorraine had arranged for Joan of Arc. At first, Joan of Arc was surprised to see that it was in the city center, but Lorraine told her that the more dangerous a place is, the safer it is. Many noble families and old-fashioned nobles live in the city center, so at least if she stayed in this area, she wouldn't have to worry about the guards searching her too frequently.

As for dodging the Omniscient Sword, it doesn't matter to him where he hides in Esgard, so there's no need to worry about him.

Before checking in, Joan of Arc was warned that although the hotel had been confirmed to be clean, she should still be careful of the people around her, such as the maid who emptied the trash can, the slow-moving hotel staff, and the flower girl outside the hotel, as they might be secretly working for the country.

The boxes in the room were secretly opened, the letters on the table disappeared, and the contents of the trash can were checked. These kinds of things happen all the time, so you have to be extremely careful and not leave any trace.

Therefore, when Joan of Arc arrived at the inn, she dressed as a man. She wore a wide-brimmed hat to cover her blonde hair, changed into a beige trench coat to conceal her figure, and wore platform shoes so that no one could know her exact height.

As for the wolf child, they had no intention of letting it out. They built a large trunk for Joan of Arc to keep the wolf child inside. In this way, Joan of Arc looked like a stranger traveling in Asgard at this time of year, who could only stay in a cheap hotel that did not require identity registration because she had no money. No one would pay attention to them.

"Here's your key." The hotel receptionist gently handed the key to Jeanne. This was one of their people in the city center, as Lorraine had mentioned. If Jeanne needed anything, she could tell her, and she could relay the message.

Joan of Arc took her key, and the waitress very attentively carried her suitcase, bowing and scraping as she led Joan to her room upstairs.

*

Esgard, Montmartre.

It was as if demons from hell had gathered in the mortal world.

A dark atmosphere permeated every corner of the church, and demons stood beneath the church's statues, like an army of evil spirits.

The entire Montmartre hill was almost completely sealed off. All three major knightly orders were mobilized. Their objective was simple: to drive all the monsters to the abandoned church, and their mission would be complete.

Cyril and Cyril were among them. They successfully drove the three-headed monster into the abandoned church, a considerable achievement. However, Cyril complained, "Why couldn't we just kill them directly? Why did we have to come all this way?"

“Their strength is beyond your capabilities,” Sirio retorted.

"If I can't take down three, can't I take down one?" Xiwan'er sneered, still with that indifferent and nonchalant expression. "Only cowards would retreat without a fight."

Cilio ignored the spoiled brat and turned to look at the demons in the church, still feeling a cold sweat pour down his back. Where did these demonic figures come from? Why did they suddenly appear in Asgard?

Even Sivan dared not be defiant in the face of this evil, because these demons were indeed quite powerful. For example, the demon they had just lured over was one that even Sivan himself was not confident he could defeat. In the process of driving away these monsters, all three knightly orders suffered casualties due to carelessness. Even these usually proud knights had to be careful.

Fortunately, the king had the foresight to discover the existence of these demons in advance. If they had been discovered only after the monsters had wreaked havoc in the city, the city would have suffered heavy casualties.

Most of the demons had been driven into the church, and the bronze doors of the abandoned church slowly closed, as if resealing the demons.

High up on Montmartre, Lorraine and Brand lurked in the shadows.

Are you sure you want to do this?

"There is no better opportunity than this. Who else would you like to ask for help? The demons in those churches are your best helpers. They don't need any reward. As long as you open the gates of hell, they will bite the Sword of Omniscience to death for you."

"But besides biting the Sword of Omniscience, why don't they bite me too? I don't want to be bitten to death before I even see the Sword of Omniscience."

“Why don’t you just become like them?” Brand said casually.

Lorraine suddenly fell silent, looking at Brand with a complicated expression: "If I use that, I might not be able to turn back."

Have you ever heard of the legends of the maze?

"What do you mean?"

“There was once a hero who was determined to kill the monster in the labyrinth. The beautiful princess was moved by the hero’s determination and secretly gave him a ball of thread, instructing him to tie one end of the thread tightly to the entrance of the labyrinth. This way, after the hero entered the rugged labyrinth, he could return along the same path.”

Brand actually handed the red ball of thread to Lorraine: "This is the ball of thread I'm giving you. Tie it to your body. As long as you have the intention to return to where you are, no matter where you are or what situation you are in, the ball of thread can bring you back."

"Why didn't you bring out something this good sooner?" Lorraine took the ball of yarn. "I remember in mythology, a princess gave a hero a sword to fight enemies. Do you have one?"

As Lorraine spoke, the red thread slowly wrapped around him, just like it had wrapped around the coin. Soon, Lorraine was covered in red thread, with not even an eye or an ear showing. The thread not only served as his insurance but also helped him complete his disguise.

“That’s really great.” Lorraine looked at his hands and exclaimed, “Your god is so generous. Even I’m starting to think about becoming a follower of your god.”

"It's not too late to convert now."

"Forget it, I'll convert when I'm about to die. By then, even the all-knowing god probably won't tolerate me." Lorraine looked at the majestic bronze gate in the distance.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready."

Brand, with one red and one blue eye, stood up. Lorraine suddenly sensed a ghostly aura emanating from this unassuming Red God follower.

He took out the short knife tucked into his wrist and swung it at the bronze gate in the distance.

A massive black flash erupted from his hand, growing incredibly close in an instant. The knights standing before the bronze gate only felt a huge black flash suddenly appear in the sky, and before the omniscient knights could react, the black flash was already in front of the bronze gate.

Then a huge shockwave rippled outwards, and the Omniscient Knight who was nearby was directly blasted away. The ancient bronze door emitted a cracking sound mixed with the sound of time, and dense cracks extended from the bronze door all the way to the entire abandoned church, but in the end, the bronze door did not collapse.

"Wait, it's not chopped up! Are you even capable of this?" Lorraine yelled at Brand.

"The devil has returned to the world, and Judgment Day has arrived," Brand said calmly, sheathing his dagger.

Just when they thought the bronze gate had withstood the attack, a huge, deformed hand emerged from the cracked bronze gate. The next moment, the entire bronze gate was kicked down, and the demons trapped inside were exposed to the sunlight again, stepping on the shattered bronze gate.

In front of the church, the members of the three knightly orders had already drawn their weapons. At this moment, Sirio said to Sivan, "Your chance has come. Not three or five, but dozens. No one will compete with you for it."

Sivan's face was grim, and he was no longer in the mood to argue with Syrio. Indeed, if it were just one demon, Sivan was confident of victory, but with dozens of demons together, it was as if an ignorant person had voluntarily stepped into the gates of hell, and would be torn apart by the demons the moment they entered.

Fortunately, the Omniscient Knights and the Blazing White Knights are all here. With them blocking the way, these demons will not be able to leave the church.

A stern voice rang in their ears: "Get out of the way, all of you."

A silver figure descended from the sky, stirring up a huge sandstorm. A towering figure rose from the ground, using his body to shield the demon from view.

The omniscient knights actually all withdrew, leaving only the silver figure moving in the opposite direction, heading alone towards the mountain of demons in front of the church.